My little Babies

[michael_cb_125]

Here are a few updated pics and a vid of my little fish.
Sorry for the poor quality.

~Michael

 

[Elysia]

Proof positive that black & white is beautiful!

 

[stunreefer]

'Bout time

Looks like the little one has the full black bar on her forhead now, eh?

 

[small alien]

Such an elegant species. Thanks for sharing.:frog:

 

[michael_cb_125]

Thanks everyone.

Yep Austin, she finally filled in between the eyes. It is so amazing to see how angelfish change and interact with each other over time. When I first got these fish they were about the same size 2" +/-, and as such they both tried to be the dominant fish and neither wanted to back down. It took several months for the tension to settle but it finally did. After this the fish that "won" started growing much faster than the subordinate. The smaller fish eats just as much as the larger, and the larger fish does not bully her at all. I am sure I have a true pair now, and the best part....... they have been showing signs of spawning. For the last month or so, about two or three times a week they will rise to the waters surface and spin around eachother, this typically occurs in the afternoons and is very brief. That said, I have seen no gametes released.

These are by far the healthiest and fattest fish that I have personally owned.

My Babies!

~Michael

 

[michael_cb_125]

Thanks Small Alien!!}}}

~Michael

 

[skibum9884]

Very Niceeee!!!! Glad to see they're doing well.

 

[michael_cb_125]

Thanks David!

~Michael

 

[kinlayan]

michael_cb_125

Your babies are incredible one of my all time favourite angels, i was lucky enough to get one recently after having dismal luck with the first one, as you can imagine getting a Bandit so far from their natural range to South Africa is the equivalent of you getting our Kingi angel well almost, except they would be harder to export.

ONE question what temp do you keep them at would 25 degrees celsius be all right long term for this species?

It is incredible how your paired them! and you are right alot of marine fish do that twirling if they going to spawn my crosshatches do it as well in this video and you can see my new bandit too i have really fallen in love with this species and if you watch the video you will see i love angelfish!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0eurlo-bzc

hope you dont mind me posting the link on your thread i am just so excited to see such stunning little bandits like yours, and even more so that you managed to pair them are there any other features allowing one to sex them?

 

[Jacob D]

Very nice x2

 

[michael_cb_125]

Thanks Jacob!

Kinlayan- thanks for the kind words about my little fish. It sure was an adventure getting them to where they are now. I was very fortunate to aquire small juveniles and watching them grow has been very rewarding.

Over the summer the water temp hits 75, and winter it gets as low as 65. That said I try to keep the water around 68-70. I know some see the 10 degree swing and freak, but that is the seasonal temp swing.

IMO 77 is a little high for the long term success of this species. I have spoken to many people about these fish (including hobbyists, collectors, etc.) and most agree that these fish are best kept cool.
I received a 3" specimen a few years ago. I kept her in the qt, which was kept at 78. She ate but not as well as I liked. Over the course of a few days I lowered the temp to 75, and she ate a little better. Over the course of about two weeks I lowered the temp to 70, and she became a little pig.
These fish are just more comfortable when kept in cooler temps. I have seen bandits kept in warm water reefs, and I have seen my bandits (kept cool), and I can tell you the fish apart.

~Michael

 

[Angel*Fish]

Those are just about the cutest fish I've ever seen!

 

[michael_cb_125]

Thanks Marie!

This is my favorite species. They are indeed cute, in person hey look like they have chubby cheeks and a perpetual smile.

~Michael

 

[michael_cb_125]

It is difficult to tell from the video and pictures, but these fish are FAT!!!

When most people think about the problems associated with Bandit Angelfish, decompression issues and feeding come to mind. In the wild these fish are primarily sponge feeders, and as such feeding can be very tricky.

I have been feeding these little guys exclusively NLS pellets and Elos Spirulina Pellets for the last two months and the difference is amazing. They are putting on weight so quickly, sometimes I think I can see them grow . They have become so fond of the pellets that they have stopped eating other foods. If I add pe mysis and NLS at the same time, the shrimp are ignored. Crazy fish!

~Michael

 

[Outerbank]

Great fish!!

 

[Yurivd]

thanks for the photos it is always nice to see your bandet pair

 

[michael_cb_125]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

~Michael

 

[kinlayan]

michael_cb_125

Thank you for your advice about the bandit's temp requirements mine is doing well and eating like a pig but my temp is 25 celsius climbing sometimes to 26,27 in the heat of summer - the equipment room has airconditioning and fans which switch on- i have always been reluctant to install a chiller as just like a heater they will one day fail and not give me time to correct the situation - aircon gives one more time to remedy a failure

I will do some more research to find a good cooling option that has failsafes i can be happy with.

I really admire your success with this species well done!

 

[michael_cb_125]

Thanks again kinlayan!

I am laying on the couch right now watching the fish. They are doing the evening "courting" routine once again. I have a question, how far do Bandit angels typically rise when spawning? I know that the 20" I have is not deep enough as the fish will almost rise entirely out of the water.

~Michael

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Beautiful little fish Michael!